Tikal II: The Lost Temple
- Players
- 2-4
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 4 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 120 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 12+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 2.6 / 5
- Year
- 2010
About the game
Tikal II: The Lost Temple is the sequel to the Spiel des Jahres-winning Tikal, sending expeditions back to Central America to uncover a newly rumored temple. Each turn you take two actions -- moving your expedition to claim an action tile, then guiding your head scientist through the temple to explore rooms and find gold. Scoring comes from delivering treasures, claiming majorities in rooms, and exploring both the main temple and a secret outer chamber. With careful planning required as your scientist's movement is restricted without the right items, it's a tense race across two scoring rounds for board-game archaeologists.
Hobbli's Notes
Hobbli's team appreciates how Tikal II streamlines the original's action-point system into a cleaner two-action structure while keeping the tense scarcity of available actions. The temple exploration adds a fresh spatial puzzle beyond the original's jungle board. It captures the same push-and-pull tension between grabbing resources and racing rivals to key rooms. A worthy sequel for fans of the Kramer-Kiesling design lineage.
What we like
- Streamlined two-action turn structure keeps play brisk.
- Temple exploration adds a fresh spatial puzzle over the original.
- Multiple scoring paths reward different strategies.
- Strong pedigree from acclaimed designers Kramer and Kiesling.
Keep in mind
- Scarcity of action tiles can create tense but sometimes frustrating turns.
- Two-round structure means fewer decisions than some Euro fans may want.
- Familiarity with the original Tikal helps but isn't required.
Who it's for
Great for Euro-strategy fans aged 12+ who enjoyed the original Tikal; best for 2-4 players in a strategy-focused session.
